Singular Sensation: ‘A Chorus Line’ at the Arvada Center

Posted On 13 Sep 2017 / 0 Comment

0 Comment

The 1975 hit musical A Chorus Line is an up front and personal look into what auditioning for theater is like. Considered a classics of American Musicals, the show follows the lives of 17 Broadway dancers all vying for a spot in the chorus line. Zach, played by Stephen Cerf, a compulsive choreographer and ardent director, heads the audition and will stop at nothing to assemble an unforgettable chorus, no matter the toll on the physical and emotional lives of the dancers.

Stage setting for this performance is stark and intimidatingly simple. The iconic floor to ceiling mirrors upstage, and one single white line painted on the floor downstage, draw attention to the sobering reality that these dancers are literally and figuratively putting everything ‘on the line’ to pursue their lifelong passion.

The show is worth seeing, if only for the seemingly all-too-familiar and gut-wrenching life story of one of its dancers, Paul San Marco, retold through a powerfully eloquent monologue delivered by Jake Mendes. Mendes relives the details of his character’s childhood as a Puerto Rican in Spanish Harlem, the insecurities about his masculinity, the sexual exploitation he was subjected to, and his dignity-stealing break into becoming a drag queen at the Jewel Box Theatre, a part of his life that he tried, unsuccessfully, to hide from his parents.

The Arvada Center’s production of A Chorus Line is “one singular sensation” and runs through October 1, 2017. Tickets can be purchased online or by calling the Box Office.